So the interior is still beautifully made and has a classy, pared-back design that makes everything else seem rather dull. It easily has the edge over its BMW, Mercedes and Jaguar rivals if you need a plug-in hybrid SUV that can qo off-road.Īpart from the new engine, Land Rover hasn't messed around with the Velar for this update and kept things pretty much as they were. Our twisty test route through the Malvern hills also included a little expedition on Land Rover's fabled Eastnor Castle off-roading course, and the P400e, though also lacking some of the hardware you get on bigger Range Rovers, shined on some very slippery surfaces. What the P400e loses in ground clearance it gains in off-road ability as the instant torque that comes from the electric motor actually aids traction in tricky terrain. That lack of air suspension also means you can't raise the ride height if you want to go off-road, but it's no real bother. The Velar P400e doesn't have the option of air suspension and only has standard steel springs, and while this does mean the plug-in hybrid can feel less wafty then a petrol or a diesel Velar with air suspension fitted, the ride is still plush and generally smoother, more of the time. The steering is smooth and accurate but not as sharp as the Jag's or BMW's, and the Velar is more suited to driving round corners at a comfortable pace rather than being hurried.Įven the larger Range Rover Sport P400e seems more agile – but perhaps it should with Sport in its name. ![]() You sit higher than you do in the F-Pace P400e, BMW X3 xDrive30e or Mercedes GLC 300e Coupe, and there's a whiff of the big Range Rover's pomp. Serene is a good word to describe the rest of the driving experience. The engine emits a sporty grow if you press on the throttle hard, but it's still very refined and a far cry from the strained, ruffled character you get from the heavier (and older) P400e versions of the larger Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. It does a good job in shutting out road and wind noise and ramping up the silence.Įven when you up the pace and ask for the full 396bhp in the Velar's arsenal it remains serene. For this 2021 update, Land Rover has fitted noise cancellation software of the type you'd find in a pair of headphones you buy in Duty Free. Hybrid is the default mode and the Velar silently shuffles between petrol and EV power, and in normal driving the switch between the power sources is nearly imperceptible. Hybrid is essentially an auto setting so the car flits between petrol, electric or both when it sees fit, EV switches off the engine and puts the car into pure electric mode, while Save maintains the battery's charge for use later on. Total figures are 398bhp and a whopping 640Nm of torque, but of more interest are its eco credentials as this 2.1-tonne SUV coughs out a company car driver-pleasing 50g/km of CO2 (on the SE model), up to 130mpg and up to 33 miles of electric range – more than enough for most people's daily commute, says Land Rover.Ĭharging up that 17.1kWh battery at home via a 7kW wallbox will take 1 hour 40 minutes and, surprisingly for a PHEV, the Velar can also be rapid-charged up to 32kW with a zero-to-80% top-up taking just 30 minutes.Īlong with the standard driving modes you'd get in any other petrol or diesel Velar, the P400e gets Hybrid, EV and Save settings. ![]() There's an eight-speed automatic gearbox and power is sent down a prop shaft to the back axle to make it four-wheel drive – just like you'd expect a Range Rover to be. Underneath the swoopy body lies the same platform and engine and electric motor set-up as the Jag, so that means a 296bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine mated to a 141bhp electric motor, which is fed by a 17.1kWh battery pack under the boot floor. The Velar P400e doesn't just share its name with the recently launched Jaguar F-Pace P400e, but also its mechanicals. But just like those two models, the Velar now gets plug-in hybrid power as part of a round of updates for 2021. We say quietly because the Evoque and Sport were – and are – a bit more flamboyant compared to the arguably more restrained Velar.
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